West Lake

West Lake - Hangzhou's fame rests mainly
with the picturesque West Lake. West Lake covers an
area of 6.78 square kilometers. Three sides of the lake
are surrouned by verdant mountains and one side of it
properous city. Centuries later, Marco Polo called Hangzhou
the most enchanting city in all the world. This is most
evident in the West Lake area--the effective, if not
geographic, center of Hangzhou. Hills embrace the lake
on three sides; the city proper lies to the east. Ancient
Chinese people praised the West Lake area as a land
of intoxicating beauty. Su Shi, a poet from the Song
Dynasty, likened the lake to Xizi, a Chinese Cleopatra,
for its allure.

The charming lake is a pearl that lay by
the city. There are two brocade-ribbon-like causeways
inside the lake, namely Bai Causeway and Su causeway,
and they divide the lake into five parts. Three man-make
islands named Three Pools Mirroring the moon, Mid-lake
Pavilion and Mr. Ruan TYuan's Mount stand
elegantly in the outer lake.